Notes from the area conference

There was a broadcast on 10.20.19 from Boston, Massachusetts directed toward all people in the North America Northeast region. Elder Christofferson and Elder Ballard were the main speakers.
These are very brief notes from the regional conference:

Our Savior didn't focused on how hard and painful the atonement was. He focused on joy to get him through it. We, too, should focus on joy in our own lives and not how hard things might feel.

We need to pray daily for opportunities to invite others to learn - invite to church, invite to eat, invite to attend an event, invite to anything. Make friends. Be friends. The local leadership brother spoke about how his daughter moved to a new state and the first thing that happened was a neighbor brought over freshly baked cookies and asked her if she had a church to go to. They thought this man surely must be the ward mission leader. He actually was from another church. We need to be comfortable asking people to join us in the things that we are doing, just as this man and others in his daughters new community are.

Daily prayer keeps us centered on Heavenly Father. We need get away from out "Type-A" personalities of thinking that we need to do a certain number of chapters each day. We should set an amount of time for scriptures and allow for time to ponder in order to receive answers and promptings.
He recommended reading "Deep and Lasting Conversion" by Elder Cook Cook's talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ffO-5yh7YQ

and
"Try, Try, Try" by Elder Eyring   Eyring's talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aSsN2vru1A

As well as a lesser known article by Clay Christensen, who is a professor at Harvard. Each year on the last day of class, he would give a lecture on how to incorporate what you learn into who you become. Elder Christofferson explained that Clay Christensen spent an hour each night meditating and pondering on the purpose of his life, rather than spending that hour studying [insert some heavy college subject here]. This proved to be more beneficial to him than anything else he could have done with his time and then he gives the lecture on what he learned. It became so popular that Harvard Business Review published it. I found the book, "How will you Measure your Life?" by Clay Christensen and a Ted Talk:  Christensen's talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvos4nORf_Y&t=8s
His book is also available on Audible.

Don't forget to thank your God for all the things he has given you. We need more thankfulness and to verbally acknowledge those specific things.

And lastly, President Ballard spoke about the time he has spent in the New England area looking at all the sites that our founding fathers lived, worked, and died. He talked about the battles that were fought, the prayers that were said, and the miracles that proceeded because of the faith of these brave men who suffered greatly in trying to free us from the British. He spoke of one battle on Christmas (probably the Battle of Trenton) where God provided miracles via a drastic change in the weather (river turned to ice, allowing troops to cross; clear skies turned to fog and snow, allowing troops to go unseen by their enemies) all provided by the Hand of God. These men had fasted and prayed for help. We, too, need to fast and pray for our country. We have forgotten how much was sacrificed, and what God has done to allow us these freedoms. We need to pray for this country. We need to pray for our leaders, our people, our protection. We need a movement via social media and we need to invite everyone, everywhere to participate.

He also spoke of one of the men on the Mayflower who had fallen off and almost drown but through God's miracles, he survived. He and his wife had 10 children and a great posterity including many significant people in positions to change history (presidents, leaders, etc.).

God's hand is in our life and we need to stop chalking it up to "coincidence" and acknowledge that a loving God in heaven is protecting and guiding us. Look for His hand in your life. It is there.

Please share anything else you learned from this broadcast or any facts I got wrong. :)